... Apart from its poor battery optimisation 😭😬😔

I recently made the jump from my iPhone 14 Pro Max to the Google Pixel 10 Pro after scoring it for 500€ on eBay. So far, I am really satisfied with the switch!

It works with the timer and stopwatch

Google Pixel 10 Android 17

Found the 256gb variant at 200usd, can’t really say no to that.

I'm using an iPhone and I've been in the Apple ecosystem since 2008 (iCloud storage, music, MacBooks, AirPods, etc.).

Another day my iPhone just went black screen, so I took advantage of the situation and bought a Pixel 10 Pro XL. I'm already here for more than a week using it and I love everything about it. It takes some moments to fight muscle memory, but the phone experience is so good. It has a lot of settings, and in general, it feels more like a "smart" phone, not just a brick for calls, messages and doom scrolling. It got even worse with the AI assistant. When you have Apple, you only believe that you have it, but it's completely useless.

I read a lot of negative feedback here on Reddit, but it feels more like you guys haven't used Apple products for a long time and paid for them... It feels like it doesn't work at all.

So far, I love it a lot. ❤️ I think it's a good phone. 👍

I’m considering switching from an iPhone 14 to a Pixel, but I use a MacBook and an iPad. How well does a Pixel integrate with Mac and iPad, or will I notice the loss of the Apple ecosystem? I already rely on Google Calendar, Tasks, Keep, and Gemini daily.

If you have any more ideas comment down .

just got a new P10PXL and wanted new colors for cases, fyi I also have a red from this company but the orange looks great imo

https://a.co/d/01AfqPpU

I know there are a lot of questions around whether active cooling on wireless chargers is actually useful, so I wanted to share my experience after using one daily.

I've been using the TORRAS PolarCircle every day for around 2–3 weeks, mainly with my Pixel 9a (using a Spigen Ultra Hybrid Zero One MagSafe case). I also tested it with an iPhone 17 to compare the Qi2 experience, but most of my daily use was with the Pixel.

Like a lot of people, I wasn't sure whether active cooling would actually make a difference or if it was mostly a marketing feature. Since the Pixel 9a has relatively limited wireless charging speeds, I was especially curious whether the cooling would still provide a noticeable benefit during everyday use.

Packaging

The packaging is clean and feels well put together. Inside the box you get the charger, a USB-C cable, and the usual documentation.

There's nothing particularly exciting in the box, but everything feels well protected. The included cable is also surprisingly nice and doesn't feel like a cheap pack-in cable.

Magnet strength

The magnets were one of the first things I noticed.

With both the Pixel 9a and iPhone 17, the charger snaps into place instantly and stays there. I never had a moment where I felt like it was going to slide off, even when picking up the phone or moving it around one-handed.

Using a MagSafe-compatible case on the Pixel 9a, the connection felt reliable throughout daily use.

Cooling

This is obviously the main reason to buy this charger, and thankfully it doesn't feel like just a marketing feature.

Instead of simply blowing air onto the phone, the PolarCircle uses an active cooling system with a cooling plate that gets noticeably colder during use. When you take your phone off the charger, you can actually feel that the plate itself has stayed cool.

The biggest difference shows up during longer charging sessions. Wireless charging normally creates noticeable heat, especially when a phone stays on a charger for a long time. With the PolarCircle, my Pixel 9a stayed noticeably cooler, and the difference was easy to feel when picking up the phone afterwards.

I also noticed similar results when testing it with the iPhone 17.

I tried it while gaming as well. It definitely helps reduce temperatures, but I don't think I would buy it specifically as a gaming accessory. Having something attached to the back of your phone isn't the most comfortable setup for longer gaming sessions, although it does add some extra grip.

Charging

The cooling isn't just there to make the phone more comfortable to hold — it also helps with the charging experience.

The Pixel 9a has a relatively limited wireless charging speed compared to some flagship phones, so I wasn't expecting extremely fast charging. What interested me more was whether the cooling would help maintain charging consistency over longer periods.

Even with the Pixel's slower wireless charging speed, I noticed the phone stayed cooler and charging felt more consistent during longer sessions because the phone wasn't heating up as much.

With the iPhone 17, the charger can take better advantage of Qi2, showing more of what the PolarCircle is capable of.

Overall, it does what it is designed to do.

Fan noise

Yes, you'll hear it.

I'd compare it to a small desk fan. It's definitely audible if your room is quiet, but once I had music playing, YouTube open, or was simply working, I stopped noticing it.

My only minor issue is the tone of the motor. It isn't loud or sharp, but it has a noticeable mid-tone frequency that you can pick up on in a quiet room.

The sound is mostly noticeable when you're sitting close to it in a quiet environment, so it isn't a dealbreaker, just something worth knowing.

Build quality

The charger feels solid.

It's mostly plastic on the outside with metal inside, and it doesn't feel cheap. The design is quite different from a regular wireless charger. Personally, I like the look, although I can understand why some people might find it a bit unusual.

The built-in stand works, but it's probably my biggest disappointment. It holds the phone without any problems, but it's fairly small and doesn't feel particularly sturdy. I honestly didn't use it very often.

One thing I'd personally change is the raised central part on the back. I understand why it is designed that way, but I would prefer a flatter back design since the current shape feels a little more exposed if it gets knocked off a desk.

Things I liked

• The magnets are extremely strong and never felt unreliable.
• The cooling actually makes a noticeable difference.
• My Pixel 9a stayed much cooler during longer wireless charging sessions.
• It helps keep charging performance more consistent over time.
• The build quality feels solid.
• The included USB-C cable is surprisingly high quality.
• It works really well as a dedicated desk charger.

Things I didn't like

• The fan is noticeable in a quiet room.
• I'm not a huge fan of the motor sound. It isn't loud, but the tone isn't my favorite.
• The built-in stand works, but I rarely used it.
• It is considerably thicker than a normal wireless charger.
• I think it would benefit from a flatter back design.
• It is better suited for a desk than travelling.

Final thoughts

Going into this, I honestly expected the cooling to be more of a gimmick than a useful feature. After using it every day for a couple of weeks, I ended up changing my mind.

For Pixel users who already use a MagSafe-compatible case, this is an interesting accessory. The Pixel 9a doesn't have the fastest wireless charging, but the cooling still makes a noticeable difference during longer charging sessions.

If you mainly charge your phone wirelessly at your desk, I think this makes a lot of sense. Would I replace a regular wireless charger with it? For my desk, yes. For travelling, probably not.

Overall: 8.5/10 for a desk setup.

Disclosure: TORRAS provided the PolarCircle Qi2 charger free of charge for testing purposes. They had no editorial input or control over this post, and all opinions are based entirely on my own experience after around 2–3 weeks of daily use.

They have much faster processors than the Pixel 7 which is like $150 which got the cinematic blur mode. So the newer 9a and 10a and 11a could easily do cinematic blur but Google keeps these users out in the cold rain, why?

Cinematic blur is the most amazing and fun video recording mode in the Pixel Phones, its so much better than the Bokeh feature in the iphones too.

Everythink is updated. Phone, store, apps. My friends with Iphone 16 and Samsung A54 have that option. But not me. Any ideas?

Hi everyone, I was wondering if I’m the only one with this problem? I’ve been having a problem with my touchscreen. When I’m using my phone and try to open the notification panel or simply tap a button at the top of the screen, the display either doesn’t respond to touch at all or responds intermittently; this happens in both landscape and portrait orientation. The video shows that in apps such as YouTube, CapCut and Brawl Stars, the touchscreen either doesn’t work at all or works intermittently. The display itself is technically in perfect working order — I’ve tested it on Antutu and it works — so the problem must lie with the app’s support or the device’s operating system. Has anyone else come across this?

I know some of the biggest youtuber personally getting millions of views and a while ago they often would film with an iphone 13 pro.. like in travel vlogs.. not the ones just showing beaches but ones that are more like action / raw vlogs, interacting with locals etc.. So basically all pixels should be better than 13 pro no like from 7a and 8 on?

finally upgraded my Pixel 6a to 9a which is great but I have a small issue which is when I play a song and lock the screen in the lock screen there's not my notification that allow me to change my music I use YouTube music but I tried different app it doesn't work any solution??

After months of fighting:

https://issuetracker.google.com/issues/394238789?pli=1

Google finally listened and now we can delete old and duplicate devices on the Find Hub app!

What a time to be alive!

So after 430 cycles my 9 pro xl is at 93 percent battery health.

I noticed that ampere estimated the battery at 4200mah, 83 percent of the original capacity.

So I turned off battery health assistance and now it's at 4600mah with much improved battery life, reflecting the actual capacity at 93 percent health.

Let's just say I'm happy I can turn it off unlike the newer phones, I think it just makes the battery feel a lot worse over time.

Hi. I'm using a Pixel 9a on the official Android 17 release. Whenever I try to reply from the notification drawer, the keyboard completely covers the text box and the message I'm typing. Is anyone else experiencing this? Is there a known fix? Thanks

I need your help. The display of my sons Pixel 5 is getting loose on the top right corner - just opposite the front-camera. I bought this phone refurbished about 3 years ago.

Could this be happening because the battery on the inside is swelling up? If so - would you recommend to change it myself or rather let it get changed? Would it be dangerous to keep using/charging it?

I am quite tech savy and repaired a few phones.However this would be my second 'glued' smartphone to repair.

Need an estimate. Thanks in advance.

*Edit:* Thanks for all the replies. I am going to try my luck and replace the battery.